City Under Fire! British press lays into Man City as Blues risk UEFA sanctions

Manchester City are currently under fire in light of a series of ongoing articles by Germany’s Der Spiegel publishing information that whistleblower site Football Leaks acquired.

The latest leak claims that Sheikh Mansour himself has been funding City’s sponsorship deals by paying Abu Dhabi sponsors around €140m per year, money which is then pumped into the Premier League club via several different sponsors.

City have repeated their statement from last week, which isn’t a complete denial but mentions context – an important factor to consider in any allegations. City refer to “out of context materials purportedly hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people”.

Etihad Airways have also responded to claims they are not the real source of income for their sponsorship of City.

An Etihad spokesperson said: “The airline’s financial obligations, associated with the partnership of the club and the broader City Football Group, have always been, and remain, the sole liability and responsibility of Etihad Airways.”

Eurosport and several other outlets report City could face new UEFA investigations and potentially sanctions.

The story is of great interest to the UK press, and is back page news in several newspapers today, with headlines such as “City Under Fire” and “City Accused!”.